This invention relates in general to a battery pack for providing power to electronic devices such as hand-held computers, wireless telephones, personal digital assistants, and the like.
In recent years, growing numbers of personal electronic devices, such as wireless telephones, personal digital assistants, hand-held personal computers, pagers, and the like are used extensively for business, education, and leisure. A well-known limitation affecting the use of such personal electronic devices is the amount of battery capacity available to the electronic device, and the fragility of the physical connection of battery packs to the electronic devices to which they are attached.
Most hand-held electronic devices, such as wireless telephones and personal digital assistants, either have an externally mounted battery pack, or a battery compartment in which a small battery is inserted. For electronic devices, such as wireless telephones, that require significant power during use, larger battery packs are most often required. Typically, relatively large battery packs are connected to the back side of wireless telephone casing. The battery pack is typically manufactured so that when the battery pack is connected to the back side of the wireless telephone, the battery pack itself becomes an integral portion of the casing of the wireless telephone. However, in most cases, a latch mechanism for removing the battery pack from the back side of the casing is present such that disengaging the latch mechanism allows the battery pack to be removed. A problem with such battery pack designs is that the battery pack often becomes disconnected from the electronic device if the electronic device is dropped or if the external latching mechanism is inadvertently disengaged. For example, if the electronic device is placed in the pocket of the user, the battery-latching mechanism is often disengaged when the latching mechanism comes into contact with other objects, such as automobile keys, causing the battery pack to separate from the electronic device. Moreover, with such external battery pack designs, often the latching mechanism becomes worn from extended use that allows the battery contacts between the battery pack and the contacts of the electronic device to lose electrical connectivity if the electronic device is vibrated or dropped.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.
In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problems are solved by an improved battery pack. The battery pack of the present invention is used for powering a hand-held portable electronic device such as a wireless telephone, hand-held personal computer, or personal digital assistant. The battery pack includes a generally rectangular battery cell where the battery cell has an upper surface and a lower surface, a length, a width and a thickness suitable for insertion into a hand-held portable device. The battery pack includes a battery cell casing for enclosing an outer perimeter of the battery cell, and the casing has a thickness equal to the thickness of the battery cell. A pair of locking latches for latching the battery pack to the hand-held portable electronic device are included and the first locking latch of the pair of locking latches is defined along a first side of the battery cell and a second locking latch of the pair of locking latches is defined along a second side of the battery cell opposite the first locking latch. A locking latch catch is defined along an outer edge of each of the first and second locking latches for engaging latching detents defined within the interior casing of the hand-held electronic device for securing the battery pack within the electronic device.
The first and second locking latches comprise an elongate member having a first end and a second end. The first end is attached to a portion of the battery cell casing and the second end is attached to the battery cell casing and spaced-apart relation to the first end such that a clearance is formed between an inner surface of the locking latch member and an outer surface of the battery cell casing between the connection points of the first and second ends of the locking latch member. The locking latches are deformable so that the locking latches may deform inward toward the outer surface of the casing between the connection points of the locking latches to the casing so that an outer surface of the locking latches and the locking latch catches may pass by an inner surface of the latching detents.
The battery pack includes an electrical battery contact disposed along an outer perimeter of the battery cell for electrical contact with a mating contact defined within the interior of the electronic device.
According to one aspect of the invention, the battery pack has a length of about 90 millimeters. The width of the battery pack is about 40 millimeters, and the thickness of the battery pack is about 4.5 millimeters. The battery cell casing is preferably comprised of a polycarbonate material.
The battery cell may be a variety of acceptable battery cells for providing electrical power to the electronic device, including lithium ion cells and lithium polymer cells.
These and other features and advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.